the rollback of south africa's biological warfare program
the rollback of south africa's biological warfare program
the rollback of south africa's biological warfare program
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200 By <strong>the</strong> seventh week <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> trial even <strong>the</strong> prosecution lacked <strong>the</strong> funds to<br />
pay for court transcripts. The Court adjourned at <strong>the</strong> end <strong>of</strong> November 1999,<br />
reserving <strong>the</strong> right to re-examine former Surgeon General Knobel once <strong>the</strong>y<br />
had examined <strong>the</strong> transcripts <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> evidence. This delay was necessitated by<br />
<strong>the</strong> fact that <strong>the</strong> prosecution team lacked <strong>the</strong> funds to purchase <strong>the</strong> daily<br />
transcripts from <strong>the</strong> transcription services!<br />
201 A comprehensive search <strong>of</strong> all newspapers indexed in Nexis/Lexis during<br />
one week that <strong>the</strong> Basson trial was scheduled to be in session in Jacksonville,<br />
Florida did not locate a singe published account <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se proceedings. This fact<br />
underscores how dependent observers are on a single source for <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
information about <strong>the</strong> trial.<br />
202 One worked for Black Sash, an NGO founded by white women liberals,<br />
whose initial mission was to help nonwhites who had run afoul <strong>of</strong> apar<strong>the</strong>id<br />
pass laws.<br />
203 During <strong>the</strong> late 1980s after <strong>the</strong> former South African government had<br />
banned nearly all labor and civic organizations that supported majority rule, a<br />
loose coalition <strong>of</strong> groups forms under <strong>the</strong> umbrella <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> United Democratic<br />
Movement (UDM). UDM served as <strong>the</strong> principle source <strong>of</strong> legal political<br />
opposition to <strong>the</strong> apar<strong>the</strong>id regime. Continuing crackdowns led to many new,<br />
small non-governmental organizations being formed. Funding to promote<br />
democracy by <strong>the</strong> US and o<strong>the</strong>r Western countries was critical to <strong>the</strong> operation<br />
<strong>of</strong> many <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se groups to exist throughout <strong>the</strong> late 1980s and early 1990s.<br />
Currently organizations such as FIX are struggling to stay in business due <strong>the</strong><br />
lack <strong>of</strong> financial support from domestic or international donors.<br />
204 Interview with Torie Pretorius, Prosecutor in <strong>the</strong> Basson trial, 12 July 2000.<br />
205 Interview with Torie Pretorius, Prosecutor in <strong>the</strong> Basson trial, 12 July 2000.<br />
206 Much <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> descriptive narrative in this section relies on <strong>the</strong> trial<br />
summaries posted on <strong>the</strong> Centre for Conflict Resolution (CCR) web site and<br />
South African press accounts <strong>of</strong> actions taken during <strong>the</strong> trial to date. To<br />
access <strong>the</strong>se summaries, see http://ccrweb.ccr.uct.ac.za/cbw/cbw_index.html<br />
207 The prosecution also objected to conspiracy charges arguing that it was<br />
unprecedented for a person to be charged with conspiracy to murder when <strong>the</strong><br />
murder took place in ano<strong>the</strong>r country. The reporter covering <strong>the</strong> trial for CCR,<br />
Marlene Burger, noted in her summary that <strong>the</strong>re was a precedent in South<br />
Africa for this, since <strong>the</strong> case against former policeman, Eugene De Kock,<br />
included charges for crimes committed in ano<strong>the</strong>r country (see Trial Week<br />
One, CCR Web Page. Both prosecutors in this case, Dr. Tore Pretorius and<br />
Anton Ackerman (SC), are well aware <strong>of</strong> this precedent as <strong>the</strong>y represented <strong>the</strong><br />
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